2013 MLB Playoff Tournament

The St. Louis Cardinals advance to the championship round after slicing through Pirates hitters in a 3-0 series sweep. While each game is close, the Pirates could not muster enough offense to keep pace with the Cards' hitting attack. St. Louis's great pitching keeps Pirates hitters in dry dock all series. The Pirates bounces into at least two inning killing double plays in each game.  Click here to see the series boxscores

Game One: Carlos Beltran pops two home runs and accounts for all the St. Louis scoring in the 3-1 opening game win. The Pirates' AJ Burnett is sharp, only allowing three hits in six innings, but Pirates batters cannot solve Adam Wainwright, who strikes out eight (Burnett K's seven himself). Pittsburgh does manage to tie the game at one apiece in the seventh on a Jordy Mercer pinch double. But Beltran's second homer of the game in the bottom of the eighth off Tony Watson wins it. Edward Mujica nails down his first save. The Pirates bounce into two deadening double plays with runners on base, a constant theme in this series. St. Louis 3, Pittsburgh 1.

Game Two: St. Louis scores four runs in the first six innings of a shaky Gerrit Cole, punctuated by a first inning, two-run homer from Matt Holliday and a clutch two-out single in the second by Matt Carpenter. Cole only goes 5.2 innings, giving up eight hits and four runs.  Manager Joe Pryweller might have left him in a bit long, as he gives up the fourth run in the sixth on a David Freese single to left center.

The Pirates bullpen is great after that and the Bucco score three in the seventh to narrow the gap to 4-3, as Lance Lynn also tires. Cards reliever Trevor Rosenthal gives up a two-run single by Starling Marte and a follow-up RBI single by Neil Walker to close the gap. But Andrew McCutchen, having a difficult series, strikes out to end the threat. The Pirates also threaten in the eighth after Marlon Byrd doubles off the left field wall. But his potentially tying run is stranded at second as Gaby Sanchez strikes out and Russell Martin hits a weak fly off Randy Choate. Mujica has an easy ninth for his second save. St. Louis 4, Pittsburgh 3.

Game Three: Francisco Liriano, so good in the wild card game, is a bit erratic this time out, whileJoe Kelly dominates. The Cards score two early runs in the third off three singles and a huge error by Pedro Alvarez. Kelly mows down Pirates' batters through six, with no runs allows and only four weak hits. The Pirates' hitting frustrations are symbolized by the seventh: Down 2-0, they put two runners on base and move them to second and third with one out. But a shallow fly from Russell Martin can't bring a runner home (the slow Justin Morneau) and that's that.

The game is broken open in the top of the eighth by a two-run shot from former World Series hero David Freese off the Pirates' Mark Melancon, making the score 4-0. The Buccos threaten again in the ninth with two hits and a walk, but Mujica douses the threat by getting Mercer and Sanchez to  meekly pop out meekly to the Cards'. St. Louis 4, Pittsburgh 1. 

--submitted by Joe Pryweller--